Blevice is a village and municipality in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It is located about 20 km northwest of Prague, 12 km northeast of Kladno and 6 km southwest of Kralupy nad Vltavou. The population as of December 31, 2006 was 283.

The village

The village is located away from all major roads at the end of a small valley, whose slopes are partially covered by forest. The forest covers 1/6 of the cadastral area which is quite a high ratio in comparsion with most villages which are surrounded by open fields.

Blevice was first mentioned in 1282, but the location has been inhabited a long time before that. As a group of 7 or 8 (today barely noticeable) prehistoric burial barrows in the wood southeast of the villages testifies. They were archaeologicaly explored in the 19th century. No definite opinion of the age of the barrows can be stated. Estimates vary from late Bronze Age (second half of 2nd millennium BC) to Slavic period of early Middle Ages (second half of 1st millennium AD).

Population

According to the 2001 census. the population was 282, which is almost exclusively Czechs with two people declaring themselves to be of Ukrainian and Vietnamese ethnicity. 82% of population was without religion, 8% belonged to Roman Catholic Church, 2% to other religious groups, 9% gave no response. With no significant employment opportunities in the village, over 90% of economically active population commute to neighbouring towns. The bus service to Kladno and Kralupy nad Vltavou operates on working days only. The same connection by train from Zákolany station (2.5 km by road from Blevice) is available every day.

Blevice has a Jewish cemetery located in the southern (upper) end of the village, beside the Zákolany road. Within an enclosure of about 2,400 m² there are about 300 preserved tombstones dating from early 18th century until the Holocaust. The neighbouring gravedigger's house from 1880s is well preserved and today serves as a private residence. Only a small number of Jewish families lived in Blevice proper in the 19th century, the cemetery was used mainly by Jews from the nearby town of Velvary and the village of Ješín. There are no longer any Jews in Blevice.

In the centre of the village there is a small chapel dating from 1746 which has a memorial plaque on its side wall which lists the local victims of World War I.

The first public performance of Czech violin virtuoso Jan Kubelík was held in Blevice in 1891.

Blevice between 1869 and 2001
Population
1869	1880	1890	1900	1910	1921	1930	1950	1961	1970	1980	1991	2001
342	398	436	453	478	488	480	419	349	356	316	281	282
Houses
1869	1880	1890	1900	1910	1921	1930	1950	1961	1970	1980	1991	2001
44	45	52	59	64	82	101	114	96	96	94	106	106

Gallery

References

External links

• Municipal website